Google Building Maker : recreating the world, one pixel at a time

The new online Google Building Maker is a superb idea – literally to recreate the world’s cities in 3D using Google Earth and the Sketchup program. Ooh crowdsourcing at its best, clever clever.

Having played around with it, I’ve got to say that Google has definitely got it right, Sketchup and Google Earth go together like Jam and Cheese (yum…what?). The whole idea of getting bored geeks to create a 3D world is also brilliant, as it becomes less of a chore and more like a game, with real measurable results you can boast about down at your local bar.

Well…OK maybe not. Anyhoo, if you’ve ever had an urge to get involved and become something of an artist come architect, this is your chance. It’s all free, and all you’ve got to do is drag some lines around the outlines of buildings in cities and make sure it all looks right. Then remember to save.

As with everything, it sounds easier than it is, but actually the basic drag and drop is pretty simple. It’s only when you come to add roofs and round off corners etc that it gets tricky, but Rome wasn’t built in a weekend, eh?

Fun, free, useful and interesting. And you get to travel to far off lands and build them up instead of bombing them. Awesome.

Building Maker is a 3D modeling tool for adding buildings to Google Earth. It’s fun to use, and an easy way to get on the 3D map. Here’s how it works: Select a city from around the world. Make a building with photos we provide. Save your building and it will be reviewed. See your 3D building in Google Earth!